Harvesting-machine



'(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. B. P: STEWART.

HARVESTING MACHINE. No. 257,406.- Patented May 2,1882.

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(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. i

' B. F STEWART.

HARVESTING MACHINE. 110,257,406. Patented May 2,1882.

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operating gearin Uwrren States Patent BENJAMIN F. STEVART, OF NIiDVPHILADELPHIA, OHIO.

HARtESTlNG MACl-llNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,406, dated May 2,1882.

Application filed December 5, 1881. ()Iotlel.)

T0 alleohom it may concern Be itknown that LBENJAMIN F. STEWART, acitizen of the United States, residing atNew Philadelphia, in the countyof Tuscarawas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in l-Iarvesting'Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference bein ghad to the aecompanyin gdrawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan ofa harvesting-machine embodyingmyimprovements. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of the main axle andcounter-shaft bearin gs. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a part of themachine, showing the Fig. 4 is a transverse section and a plan of mainaxle, on which the driving-wheel is mounted. a Fig. 5 is a partial sideelevation of themechanismforraising and lowering the finger-bar andgrain-platform. Fig. 6 shows a plan and side elevation of the eccentricattachment by which the pitman is operated, and Fig. 7 shows the mainaxle provided with two eccentrics.

One great object aimed at in this invention is to furnish a machinewhich will do efficient work and at the same time be composed of veryfew parts.

The invention consists in an eccentric ring and balancing-disks, thering and disks being arranged on the same shaft and diametricallyopposite to each other, so that the weight of the disks balances thering and serves to carry the latter over the dead-center.

It consists,further,in the manner ofsupporting thedriving-wheel on aspindle journaled eeeentrically to its bearing, a frame extendedlaterally from the tongue in front of the driving-wheel, the driversseat fixed to the outer end of said frame and arranged over the outerend of the spindle, and a lever fixed in the end of the spindle andunder control of the driver.

It consists, further, in the peculiar manner of arranging the platformand the couplingirons of the tongue,whereby the draft is thrown in rearof the operating mechanism, and into or near to thchorizontal plane ofthe resistance presented by the cutter-bar when cutting grain;

and it consists, further, in the combination and arrangement of theseveral parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

A is the grain-platform, on the forward edge of which is the finger-barB.

G is a coupling-arm which extends laterally from the platform and inline with the fingerbar, as shown. 0n the outer end ofthe arm 0 there isfixed a substantial easing or box, D, within which is placed part of theoperating gears. The box D is provided with journalbearings g g for theshaft D, on the outer end of which is fixed the spur-pinion f, whichmeshes with the internal gear, F, arranged in the driving-wheel F.

d is a bevel-gear, placed in the box D and fixed on the shaft D, andarranged to mesh with the bevel-pinion 6, formed on the end ofa hollowshaft, E. The pinion c and its sleeve or hollow shaft E revolve on ashaft, E, having its ends fixed in a partition, 0, and the end 0 of thebox D. At the inner end of the arm 0, next the platform A, there isconstructed a box or casing, O, on the top of which thereis placed ahollow post, I), having a height sufficient to carry and permit theproper sweep of the rakes.

The end of the shaft D passes through the box 0, and is provided with aworm-whee], d, which meshes with a pinion, d, on the lower end of thevertical shaft 0, which extends upward through the hollow post 6, andhas the rake-head b fixed on its upper end. The shaft D is arranged inrear of the arm 0 very nearly in the same planewith the platform A. Tothe axle D the draft is applied, as hereinafter explained.

G G are two disks formed on or suitably affixed to the end of the sleeveID, and are arranged eecentrically to the said sleeve, and are just wideenough apart to admit the pitmanhead between them.

It will be seen that the peripheries of the disks are almost coincidentwith or touch the periphery of the sleeve at one side, while on theopposite side the disks project a considerable distance beyond theperiphery of the sleeve and become a balancing-weight, for purposeshereinafter stated. It will be seen, the ther, that the disks extendabove and below the sleeve, as arranged in the second part of Fig. 6,and thus, in addition to being a balancing-weight, serve as guides togive steadiness to the movement of the pitman-head;

. Gis an eccentric journal-rin g, which isplaced on the sleeve E, andbetween the disks G G. The point of coincidence of its periphery withthe periphery of the sleeves, and the points of coincidence of theperipheries of the disks G with said sleeve, are diametrically opposite,thus bringing the disks and ring diametrically opposite, so that theweight of the latter will act to carry the pitman over the dead-center.The head G of the pitman H is a ring, which fits over the bearing-ringG.

I I are irons, which have their rear ends journaled on short sleeves gg, projecting from the sides of'the box D. The shaft D passes throughthe sleeves g g. The irons or brackets I I are provided immediatelybetween their ends with bearings I I, connected rigidly together by anintermediate sleeve, I The bearings I and the sleeve I support the endof the axle, which carries a driving-wheel, F. The forward ends I I ofthe irons or brackets I I are extended parallel to each other, and farenough to provide the necessary facilities for holding the tongue J.

To the tongue is attached a frame or bar, K K, one end of which extendsoutward in front of the drivingwheel and has the drivers seat affixedthereto, while the other end is curved backward, and is extended to andpivoted or hinged on the side of the box or framing G.

The irons or brackets I I pass over the top of the arm 0 and its box D,and arejournaled on the sleeves g g around the shaft D, thus throwingthe point of draft low down and to the rear of the line of thecutter-bar and to the rear of the axle of the driving-wheel. Theplatform A is supported so that it tilts upon the shaft D and the grainor caster wheel A. The caster-wheel A at the outer end of the platformis arranged about in line with the shaft D, and thus greatly facilitatesthe tilting movement. The draft being applied almost in the same planeand to the rear of the point of resistance relieves the machine fromgreat strain, to which it would be subject if the draft were applied ata point above and flush with or in advance of the cutter-bar.

L is a lever sleeved upon a bar or axle, 2', secured to the plates 1 andhaving a right-angled arm, 1', (see Fig. 1,) and preferably a secondarm, to which a chain, 6 or its equivalent is attached, also connectedto the box D. By moving the lever L rearwardly it willbe observed thatthe box with its inclosed mechanism and the forward end of the plat formwith the cutter-bar will be raised, and be thus held by the entrance ofthe right angled or hooked arm a" into the coincident notch of aserially-notched segment, L, cast or formed with one of the plates 1 Bymoving it in a forward direction the opposite result will follow, thuspermitting of the ready raising and es ates lowering of the aforesaidmechanism, more particularly the cutter-bar, without affecting therelation of the several parts with each other.

M is the driving-axle, upon which is loosely mounted the driving-wheel IThe drivers seat M is mounted upon a spring, j, secured upon theprojecting portion of. the axle outside of the wheel, and to the bar Kof the frame K K. The axle M has an eccentric arm or crank, N, whichworks or bears in the box I of the tongue-brackets I, and an eccentric,N, which, it will be observed, bears against either of two concavedsurfaces or points, is k, of a bearing-shoulder, 0, cast or formed uponthe outside of one of the tongue-brackets 1, as the axle is operated byits lever I As the axle is thus operated the driving-pinion f is throwninto or out of gear with the drivingwheel toothed ring, either one orthe other of the concaved bearing-surfaces 70 serving as a bearing forand to hold the axle according to its adjustment. It will be noticedthat the eccentricity of the arm N of the axle M will have the effect asit is operated, as aforesaid, to ad just the pinion f either toward orfrom the driving-wheel teeth. The pinion f is connected with its shaftD, as is usual, so as to permit it to revolve independently of its shaftwhen backing or turning the machine to prevent the operation of thecutter-bar and rakehead at those intervals.

It will be remarked that the pinion 0, its shaft E, and the balances oreccentrics G are all cast or made in one piece.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to securebyLettersPatent- 1. The combination, with the shaft E and the pitman H,having the ring G of the eccentric ring or crank G, fixed on the shaftE, and the parallel disks G G, fixed eccentrically on the shaft E,abutted against the sides of and arranged diametrically opposite to theeccentric ring or crank G, the pitman-yoke G being placed on the ring Gand held in place by the disks G G, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the tongue J, the brackets or iron I I, journaledon sleeves g g, surrounding the shaft D, and provided withjournal-bearings I I, the cranked axle N M, supported in the bearings II, and the driving-wheel F, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the axle-bracket I, having the shoulder or stop0, having the concavities is, of the driving-axle having an eccentricarm, N, an eccentric, N, and the lever P, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

4. The combination of the grain-platform, the finger-bar 13, thecutter-bar, the pitman having the ring G the shaft E, having theeccentric rin g, the counterbalancing-disks, and

the pinion e, the shaft D, having the wormgear, the bevel-gear d andpinion f, the reelpost shaft having a pinion, and the drivingwheelhaving the internal gear, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the shaft D, provided with thespnr-pinion f, andthedriving-wheel In testimony whereof I allix my signature 1*", havingthe gear F, of the platform A, eonin presence of two Witnesses.

neeted to and tilting upon the shaft 1), and the coupling-arm 0, havingone end made fast to the front edge of the platform A,and its otherBENJAMIN F. STEW ART.

end extended in front of the shaft D toward Witnesses: the driving-wheeland coupled adjnstably to DANIEL KORNS, the framing, substantially asset forth. J. H. BOOTH.

